Starting from the Knees Up ! - 18th November 08

So many things went through my mind when I listened to Luthando saying "my knees are in fellowship" when he delivered his Ice Breaker on 18 Nov.

He meant that his knees were trembling (of nervousness) due to it being his 1st prepared speech!! I thought back to when Toastmasters started, in October 1924. When Ralph C. Smedley created an organisation which today serves over 230,000 members in 92 countries through 11,500 clubs. I think about how many knees (mine definitely included) have been in "fellowship" during those long minutes of an Ice Breaker and how many lives it has changed in the following years.

I recently saw a great TV advertisement for a Fund Management company where a boy meets a girl, and sees how beautiful the mother looks. The message is "look for potential and then have the patience to wait for the perfect end result".

It made me think how much can be gained if any visitor could just gather enough courage to come to a meeting and then trust Toastmasters to deliver a perfect end result. All it requires is some potential and the patience to accompany it.

So often we see new members not being patient enough to apply the basics and work their way through the speech manuals. Famous saying- "you really CAN get everything you want if you are willing to wait for it". Just like the boy in the advertisement! Public speaking is a skill, to be acquired by listening, learning and applying a measure of patience. The end result is always well worth the wait.

To all Protea TC new members, we want to ask you to follow the steps, don't hurry it too much while you enjoy the process of learning , having fun and you will be richly rewarded over time.

Luthando, I trust you (and your knees) will always cherish that 1st speech date because very soon your knees will be ably supporting the body of a confident public speaker, positively influencing many others to follow in your speaking path.